Simple question. I suspect the answer won't be so obvious.
Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
Simple question. I suspect the answer won't be so obvious.
The art of war, then, is governed by five constant
factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations,
when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth;
(4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"
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Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
Why not? Or to put it another way: they get to keep them because they have them.
Last edited by rvg; 03-19-2014 at 14:16.
"And if the people raise a great howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war and not popularity seeking. If they want peace, they and their relatives must stop the war." - William Tecumseh Sherman
“The market, like the Lord, helps those who help themselves. But unlike the Lord, the market does not forgive those who know not what they do.” - Warren Buffett
Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
rvg's answer is correct.
Now, for the technicality buffs:
Israel is not "known" to have nuclear weaponry. Unlike virtually every other entity to have developed them, it has made no "we got da bomb" announcement. They have stated that they will not be the first to "introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East" -- whatever that bit of persiflage means.
Who knows, maybe the "President's Book of Secrets" lets each new CinC know that it has always been a hoax put together by Golda and RN to help Israel deter their opponents....
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Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
I think what it means is that the French were the first to introduce them into the Middle East.Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh
Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
Why will Iran get to keep theirs? Why does North Korea get to keep theirs?
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-Abraham Lincoln
Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
Along with India and Pakistan, Israel never signed the NPT. They get to do what they want, they just get excluded from the non-weapon benefits of the treaty. North Korea signed it, then pulled out using Clause X, although they were probably working on weapons prior to giving notice. Iran is still a signatory, hence the hand-wringing from the West about the state of their nuclear program.
Simple.
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If I werent playing games Id be killing small animals at a higher rate than I am now - SFTS
Si je n'étais pas jouer à des jeux que je serais mort de petits animaux à un taux plus élevé que je suis maintenant - Louis VI The Fat
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Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
So if you haven't signed, you can make them? And no one bats an eye? Let's say that the newly made independent republic of Durkastan decides to make them right now. Nothing official of course, but it's known. Will anyone even act? What's the point in making the other signees not proliferate the nukes if Joe TinPott can make them?
The art of war, then, is governed by five constant
factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations,
when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth;
(4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"
Like totalwar.org on Facebook!
Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
Yeah, that's how treaties usually work: if you didn't sign the treaty, you're not a subject to its restrictions.
"And if the people raise a great howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war and not popularity seeking. If they want peace, they and their relatives must stop the war." - William Tecumseh Sherman
“The market, like the Lord, helps those who help themselves. But unlike the Lord, the market does not forgive those who know not what they do.” - Warren Buffett
Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
I wouldn't say "no one bats an eye", but it does depend on the geopolitical situation of the time. North Korea pulled out and built weapons, but they were protected by China and have a gun pointed at Seoul's head, so nothing happened. Look at the diplomatic wranglings that went on when India and Pakistan armed up.
If the new People's Republic of Durkastan wants nukes, they can make them. However, the treaty forbids signatories from exchanging knowledge and material with non-signatories, so Durkastan will need to do the research, build reactors and enrichment facilities, mine it's own uranium, and pretty much start from scratch which costs an enormous amount of time and money.
The .Org's MTW Reference Guide Wiki - now taking comments, corrections, suggestions, and submissions
If I werent playing games Id be killing small animals at a higher rate than I am now - SFTS
Si je n'étais pas jouer à des jeux que je serais mort de petits animaux à un taux plus élevé que je suis maintenant - Louis VI The Fat
"Why do you hate the extremely limited Spartan version of freedom?" - Lemur
Re: Why does Israel get to keep its nuclear weapons?
I'm sure people bat an eye but what else are they gonna do? ^^
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